Leg support



April 28,- 1953 g, E, POYER 2,636,550

LEG SUPPORT Filed Oct. 25 1951 INVENTOR. CHARLES E. POYER 5 Arromvsx Patented Apr. 28, 1953 Q 1..

UNITED STATES PATENT Charles E. Poyer, Miami Beach, Fla.

Application October 25, 1951, Serial No. 253.179

2 -Claim5..

This invention relates to improvements in leg supports or braces and has particular reference to such a device for use in providing means against which a motor vehicle driver may rest his right leg while driving.

The invention contemplates such a device as shall be positioned upon the front seat of the vehicle to extend beneath the thigh of the right leg with the device provided with a curved socket for the resting support of the leg against outward movement, whereby the leg is relieved of the well known strain and tension-upon the muscular system that ordinarily result in backaches and to a large extent interfere with the safe driving of the vehicle.

An object of the invention resides in providing a support that has a flexible base that will downward with the weight of the drivers leg, with the base provided at one end with a curved socket that partially embraces the thigh and with the base further provided upon its under side with a resilient rib that embeds itself into the seat of the vehicle when the base is flexed to securely hold the support against slipping when in use.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent during the course of the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein has been illustrated preferred forms of the device and wherein like characters of reference are employed to denote like parts throughout.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a perspective view of a preferred form of the device in operative position upon the seat of a vehicle,

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the device, parts thereof in section,

Figure 3 is a transverse vertical section, taken on line 3-3 of Figure 2,

Figure 4 is a bottom plan view of the device, and

Figure 5 is a perspective view of a modified form of the support.

Referring specifically to the drawings and particularly to Figures 1 to 4 inclusive, the numeral 5 designates a conventional front seat of a motor vehicle, while the numeral 6 designates the leg support as a whole. The leg support is adapted to be positioned upon the vehicle seat adjacent the front edge and is to be arranged to extend beneath the leg of the driver.

The device 6 embodies a generally rectangular fiat base of any desirable material, indicated at I. The base 1 is preferably formed of a material that is flexible. The major area of the base 1 is perforated at 8 to permitcirculation of air and to further reduce the weight of :the device. The lower surfaceof the "base lmay be coated with .a suitable material to increase thefrictional .contact of the device withthe surface of the seat to retard any tendency to slip, the friction material being indicated atfl. However, the lower face or the base may be roughened if desired. Adjacent the outer end of the base, a socketmember l6, preferably formed solid from wood or other desirable material, is attached to the base pref- .erably by cementing and :further reinforced by wood screws II. The forward side of the socket it is curved inwardly and outwardly to provide a transversely extending leg engaging rest ll, the rest '1 l conforminggenerally to thecurvature of the leg thigh of the user, The rear side of the member I0 is inclined outwardly and downwardly to terminate flush with the outer terminal end of the base '1, providing an extended brace beyond the socket, indicated at [-2, whereby any tendency of the base to tilt upwardly in use is retarded. It is contemplated that the base shall .be formed of plywood, hardboard .or-the like and suitably decorated to present a pleasing appearance.

As a further means to prevent-endwise slipping of the device in use, a preferably resilient rib-9' is secured, as by screws or like fastening devices 1.0, to the underside of the base, adjacent its outer end. The rib 9' extends transversely of the base and terminates at either end short of the longitudinal edges of the base, as clearly shown in Figure 4. Since the base 1 is relatively flexible, the rib 9 will readily embed itself into the usually soft surface of the seat when the pressure of the drivers leg is placed upon the base. When the device is flexed by pressure of the drivers leg, the base conforms throughout to the surface of the seat and the rib 9' embeds itself to the extent, that longitudinal movement of the brace in use is wholly prevented. To shift the base, the weight of the drivers leg must be relieved.

In the use of the device, the driver positions the brace'with the base 1 extending under the right thigh a sufficient distance to cause the socket II to bear against the thigh in partially e mbraced position. The length of the base 1 is optional and may be formed of sufiicient length as to extend under both the right and left thighs of the user. However, it has been found entirely satisfactory for the device to be positioned under the right thigh only. With the weight of the drivers leg thereon, the support is maintained against slipping, regardless of the degree of pressure the leg of the driver may exert against the socket. The roughened or coated surface of the base, coupled with the rib 9' will successfully prevent any slipping. Therefore, since the device is held against slipping, the driver may effectively rest his leg in the socket and positively relieve the usual tension upon the leg while operating the accelerator pedal or the brake over long periods of driving. The resting support of the leg relieves the tension upon the muscles of the leg and back and permits the driver to operate the vehicle in a more alert manner free from the distracting aches and pains suffered when driving long distances. While the member ID has been indicated as being formed of wood, it follows that it may be formed of any suitable moldable material.

The form of the device illustrated in-Figure 5, is identical in size and shape to the preferred form of Figures 1 to 4. However, in this form of the invention, the device is formed of a single sheet of plastic or like material capable of being shaped or bent to the desired contours. The sheet, indicated at l3, as before, is perforated over its major area, at 14, similar to the perforations 8. Intermediate its ends, thesheet I3 is bent and curved upwardly and outwardly to form an inwardly curved transversely extending leg engaging socket 15. After forming the socket [5, the

sheet is bent and directed outwardly and downwardly to provide an inclined brace it, after- -which the sheet is bent inwardly horizontally to form a leg I! that is in the same horizontal plane with the base E3. The terminal end of the leg I! is curved upwardly at I8 for conforming contact with the base of the socket t5, as shown. The un- :2-

derside of the base l3 may be roughened or coated as in the first form of the device to retard slippage. The leg I! is further provided with a resilient rib, indicated in dotted lines, similar to the rib 9 and for the same purposes.

The operation of this form of the invention is identical to that previously described. Pressure of the leg of the driver upon the base l3 causes it to flex downwardly into engagement with the seat of the vehicle, which action causes the rib to be embedded into the seat cushion as before. The device of Figure 5' may be formed in various colors, is light in weighi' cheap to manufacture and is highly efiective in use. 7 It is to be understood, that the invention is not 4 limited to size, shape or material and that changes may be made as readily fall within the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A leg support for relieving muscular strain upon a'leg of a vehicle driver which comprises, an elongated flexible base plate adapted to be positioned upon a vehicle seat beneath the thigh of the driver and having a portion thereof extending outwardly of the drivers thigh, a combined socket and brace member secured to said outwardly extending portion of the flexible base plate, the said socket and brace member being positioned transversely of said base plate and having an outer bracing wall inclined inwardly and upwardly of the extended terminal end of the base plate and an arcuate inner wall curved upwardly and inwardly of the innermost extended end of the base plate to provide a socket partially to embrace the outer portion of the drivers thigh, and a transversely extending rib secured to and depending from the bottom face of the extended portion of the base plate beneath said combined socket and brace member and having its marginal ends disposed inwardly of the bottom marginal edges of the extended portion of the base plate, the said base plate being adapted to flex downwardly under the weight of the drivers thigh to conform to the adjacent surface of the seat, such downward flexing of the base plate causing said transversely extending rib to imbed itself into the surface of the seat whereby to prevent longitudinal shifting of the base plate when pressure is exerted outwardly upon said socket and brace memher.

2. The support recited in claim 1 wherein the combined socket and brace member is formed solid and the base thereof occupies substantially the entire upper portion of the outwardly extended end of the base plate.

CHARLES E. POYER.

Name Date Nelson Sept. 19, 1950 Number 

